Day 1 in Argentina! Right off the plane, the presence of palm trees and bright sun tricked me into thinking it would be warm, but the weather was cool and made me wish I had brought a thicker jacket. On the bus ride to the city, I noticed some areas seemed to be built to appeal to tourists, with tall hotel buildings located right next to each other. Many of the smaller homes appeared to be much older and more run-down, with cracks in the wall paint and graffiti on the sides. The Argentine roads had many more lanes than the ones found in the US, and there were mainly very small cars, large public buses, and motorcycles being driven. 

We checked into our hotels and spent the afternoon getting lunch in the IES building with Ileana and Laura. They provided us with many different types of meat and it was delicious! We tried the local dolce de leche ice cream before exploring the city itself. The center of Buenos Aires was so beautiful with an older, very detailed architectural style. There were also large murals, other wall art, and huge advertisements throughout the city that I had a lot of fun trying to translate to the best of my knowledge. We also helped out the local economy by ordering chicken empanadas, beef empanadas, cheesecake, and macaroons from small shops, and I had the opportunity to order these foods in Spanish. This was such an amazing experience because one of my goals coming into this study abroad was to speak in Spanish! The locals were all so sweet and loved recommending foods to us and helping us to order. We also made a quick stop at a mini-market to pick up large water bottles to keep in our rooms for later. It was so much fun going back to the hotel with everyone to rate the different foods we got and hang out. 

Also, Happy Mother’s Day!! My mom is actually the one who inspired me to go into nursing, as she was a pediatric ICU nurse. She is the sweetest person with the absolute biggest heart. My mom is my number one supporter and is always pushing me to do my best in everything.